Improvisation as Ability, Culture, and Experience

Abstract

We argue in this article for greater role for improvisation in the music classroom. Based on an extensive examination of scholarship about improvisational practices, we propose three conceptualizations—ability, culture, experience—that can serve to guide the teaching of improvisation. When considered as an ability, improvisation is a creative aspect of overall musicianship; considered as culture, improvisation is a distinctive way to understand specific musical practices; finally, considered as experience, improvisation is a distinctive way of being in and through music that reflects the fact that the act of living is largely improvisatory. Although we see merit in all three conceptualizations and provide pedagogical examples to support each in turn, we conclude that the last of these holds the greatest potential to positively affect school music classrooms.

Optimizing Performative Skills in Social Interaction: Insights From Embodied Cognition, Music Education, and Sport Psychology

“…However, novel solutions to optimize the performance might emerge through moment-to-moment interactions: both musicians can adapt to each other − e.g., a solo can be intentionally repetitive to enable the other to explore novel harmonic possibilities and progressions. In the context of music education, it has recently been argued that settings where performance and collaboration are prioritized may foster important benefits in terms of negotiating differences and stimulating trust and social understandings (Higgins and Mantie, 2013), leading researchers to focus on informal learning practices (Green, 2001, 2008). In these contexts, (musical) meanings are recursively and collaboratively transformed, giving rise to creative outcomes that do not involve prescriptive rules to be followed or mind-reading mechanisms (see van der Schyff et al, 2016).…”

Improvisation in general music education – a literature review

“…This approach can be understood as child-directed more than teacher-directed and includes a view of improvisation as a process of discovery where mistakes are seen as new opportunities and possibilities rather than failure. Frames that provide a safe and trusting environment are viewed as important, so that children, without fear of being criticised by peers or teachers, can make mistakes (Burnard, 2002; Koutsoupidou, 2005, 2008; Kanellopoulos, 2007; Higgins & Mantie, 2013; Monk, 2013; Gruenhagen & Whitcomb, 2014).…”

Improvisation i musikundervisningen: Tre lärares didaktiska förhållningssätt

“…Enligt en forskningsstudie inverkar detta på vilket innehåll som privilegieras i undervisningen (Ferm Almqvist, Vinge, Väkevä & Zandén, 2016). I skapande musikaliska aktiviteter ligger att resultaten inte kan vara förutsedda, vilket också innebär att de är svåra att bedöma och betygsätta utifrån på förhand givna mål (Higgins & Mantie, 2013;Johansen, Holdhus, Larsson & MacGlone, 2019). Här finns risken att improvisation inte privilegieras enligt devisen "what gets measured gets done".…”

“…Att delta i musikalisk improvisation förstås som en interaktiv process där kvaliteter som risktagande, utforskande och lek förkroppsligas (Higgins & Mantie, 2013). Med ett processinriktat fokus anses elever lyssna och kommunicera i samspel vilket innebär att de kan utveckla sociomusikalisk kommunikativ förmåga (MacGlone, 2019).…”